Saturday, May 21, 2016

Ethics and Morality

"A Way in the Wilderness"

I just read an article about a newly endowed Chair for the Study of Atheism, Humanism and
Secular Ethics just established at the University of Miami. This new
academic department wasn’t established to promote atheism but to rather to
systematically study the teachings of secular philosophy and to explore human ethics
without the influence of religious teachings.

While many religious people may be incensed over what just happened
in Miami, as a Christian and ordained priest I am very much in favor of this
new academic venture. I see it as as excellent
addition to university studies, especially in an age where more and more people
(especially younger folks) are turning away from affiliation with established
religion.

It seems to me that people often tend to avoid talking about
ethics and morality because they associate moral conversation with religious
belief. “Morals” are rules handed down by religious institutions who claim that
these are the laws of God. So of course, if you aren’t religious or if you are
an atheist or an agnostic you probably want nothing to do with conversations
about morality.

The problem is that, if no one is talking about ethics or
morality, where do the bigger “meaning of life” questions get raised?

A few months back an op-ed
piece in the New York Times made
this point:

Because there is less moral
conversation in the public square

we are less articulate about our inner
life.

There are fewer and fewer places
nowadays

where people are able to talk to
one another about the things that matter most,

as a result, many feel lost or
overwhelmed.

They feel a hunger to live
meaningfully

but they don’t know the right questions to ask,

the right places to look or even
if there are any ultimate answers at all.

Several years ago, in his very insightful book, Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World, the
Dalai Lama made a compelling argument for moving all moral conversations
outside and beyond “religious institutions.” He argued that, if morality is
only a subject of interest for religious people, then you may avoid considering
ethical issues if you aren't religious.

The Dalai Lama also went
on to suggest that we don’t need religious teachings as the only source for
evaluating moral decisions and he argued that in the field of science there are
some pretty clear standards of universal morality applicable to all humanity - upholding
these standards has more to do with our survival as a species than with
following religious dictates:

Fortunately there is now a
reasonably substantial body of evidence

in evolutionary biology,
neuroscience and other fields suggesting that,

even from the most rigorous
scientific perspective,

unselfishness and concern for
others are innate to our biological nature.

Interdependence is a key feature
of human reality.

As human beings we can survive
and thrive only in an environment of

concern, affection and
warm-heartedness – or in a single word, compassion.

I firmly believe that we need more public “moral dialogue”
in the marketplaces of our common life. As I see it, we need to find more and
more ways to ask those bigger “meaning of life” questions, searching together
for direction as we make our way through the wilderness of life. Together we all need to be exploring issues
like gun control, immigration, sexuality, the ethics of climate change, the morality of euthanasia,
the proper use of wealth, the morality of war in a nuclear age.

So I applaud what the university of Miami just did and I think
that colleges and universities everywhere might do well to establish a “Department for the the study of Atheism, Humanism and Secular Ethics.” We need more and
more places and opportunities where the big important
questions of life can be addressed.

And when we have these important conversations I think there
is a universal standard that can guide and inform our dialogue. We can evaluate
the morality of our personal or corporate lives by looking through the lens of concern, affection, and warm-heartedness -
in a word compassion.

Without this kind of morality we will be unable to survive
as a species.

About Me

I am a teacher, a writer, and a spiritual guide. I am an ordained Episcopal Priest and hold degrees in theology, philosophy, and communication. I am particularly interested in the common spiritual insights which the many various world religions share with one another.

My wife and I live in the beautiful desert in the Coachella Valley of Southern California.